Ontario opens North America’s newest regulated iGaming market

Ontario opened its regulated online betting and gaming market today (4 April) with 13 operators going live in the Canadian province on day one.

The launch follows the establishment of a new online gaming framework for private operators, with iGaming Ontario working with the Government of Ontario and the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario (AGCO) to open North America’s newest regulated iGaming market.

Thirteen operators went live earlier today, with players in Ontario now able to play online casino games and place sports bets on approved sites that have met rigorous standards of game integrity, fairness, player protections and social responsibility. 

“This is a monumental day that establishes Ontario as an international leader in online gaming,” said iGaming Ontario executive director Martha Otton. “After years of anticipation culminating in historic legislation followed by months of hard work by all stakeholders, we have reached today’s launch of a legal internet gaming market out from under its previous grey market standing.”

So far, 16 operators have been granted approval to launch in the market, of which 13 have gone live today. Additional licences are expected to be issued to operators by iGaming Ontario in the coming weeks and months.

The 13 operators that have gone live in Ontario are:

888casino.ca, 888poker.ca, 888sport.ca

on.Bet365.ca

Casino.on.BetMGM.ca, Poker.on.BetMGM.ca, Sports.on.BetMGM.ca 

BetRivers.ca

Sportsbook.Caesars.com

Coolbet.ca

FanDuel.com/Canada

LeoVegas.com

PointsBet.ca

Rivalry.com

RoyalPanda.com

theScore.bet

on.Unibet.ca

“Today is momentous as we finally are able to participate in a regulated gaming market in our home country,” said theScore CEO John Levy. “We applaud the Ontario government for its leadership in creating and implementing a safe, consumer-friendly and commercially minded market. We’ve been actively preparing for this opportunity, including aggressively hiring to further build out our Toronto-based workforce with a focus on investing heavily across technology and engineering.

“theScore has been part of the fabric of the Canadian sports scene for 25 years and theScore Bet launching in Ontario is the next step in the evolution of how we serve fans.  We’re excited to officially introduce theScore Bet in our home province and provide our longtime users with an integrated media and betting experience unlike any other. Today is the realization of a huge undertaking by the entire theScore family and we’re proud to be part of this historic moment for Ontario.”

Richard Schwartz, CEO of BetRivers.ca owner Rush Street Interactive, said: “We are thrilled to bring millions of Ontario gaming enthusiasts into the expanding BetRivers community and to deliver the same best-in-class products and trusted services that our players elsewhere in the Americas have come to expect and appreciate.

“By always putting the player experience first - and focusing on earning and retaining player trust, be it through our array of proprietary betting options, fast and easy payouts, or efficient and helpful customer support – we are confident that BetRivers will become Ontario’s preferred online casino and sports betting destination.”

888 CEO Itai Pazner added: “We are excited to launch in Ontario under a local licence, enabling us to leverage our full suite of data-driven marketing capabilities to build awareness of our differentiated and content rich products in the province. Ontario is a large province with a population of more than 14 million people, many of whom are passionate sports and betting fans, and we see very exciting long-term growth opportunities in the market.

“Launching in attractive regulated markets like Ontario is a key element of the Market Focus pillar of our long-term corporate growth strategy to strengthen our position as a global online betting and gaming leader.”